Body-supporting means



Aug. 20, 1929. VON HALL: 1,725,115

BODY SUPPORTING MEANS Filed July 24, 1926 War-15F" anoe/Mioz m (47 144%1 5111mm I Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLARD VON HALLE, 0F PALISADES PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE STAND-ARD CORSET COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU-SETTS.

BODY-SUPPORTING MEANS.

Application filed July 24,

This invention relates to body supporting means such as abdominal andbust supports and has for its object the lifting and sup porting of suchparts of the body as because of weight or of weakness of the parts mayneed such artificial support or to improve the appearance of the wearer.

This invention may be applied to various articles of apparel such forinstance as belts, girdles, corsets, brassieres, bandeaux, abdominal andbust supports and may be made in various ways.

7 In the accompanying drawings, the invention is disclosed in a concreteand preferred form in which Figure 1 is a front View, partly inperspective of the body supporting means of this invention applied to abelt for the purpose of abdominal support.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a View showing the body supporting means of Fig. 1 appliedto the human form: and

Figure 4 is a view showing the body supporting means of this inventionembodied 'lIl a bust support and applled to the human form.

1 is the body supporting means which as here illustrated is comprised oftwo connected members 2 and these members 2 may be fastened or connectedtogether at 3 by any of the well know means for such purpose, such ashooks and eyes, eyelets and lacing, buttons and holes, etc.; or, theymaybe permanently connected together at 3 as in a manner well understood inthe art. The other ends 4 of these members may be permanently orremovably attached to the carrying means which as here shown in Figures1 and 3 is a belt 5 but which of course may be any form such as a corsetor corsetlet, to the inside of which the body supporting means may beattached, or a girdle or bandeaux or any other form of suitable wearingapparel. The body supporting means is provided at the longitudinalcenter with vertical stiffening means. As here 1926. Serial No. 124,606.

shown each of the members comprises two parts 6 and 7 permanentlyfastened together in oblique angular relation to each other, the upperpart 6 being resilient and the lower part 7 substantially non-resilientso that when the two opposed members 2 are connected together to formthe body supporting means 1, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, the. bodysupporting means 1 comprises an upper resilient member composed of twoparts and a lower substantially nonresilient member comprising a centralportion 7", 7 and end members 7"".

The stretch of the upper resilient member is increasingly restricted inthe direction of the lowermost point of that member by and along theline of joinder 8 which being oblique causes a step-by-step pull on thelower part of the body supporting means along the entire length of theline of joinder to impart throughout the lower part a lifting movement.

As here shown the upper part 6 is made of elastic webbing and is in theshape of substantially a truncated right-angle triangle, the hypothenuse8 which forms the lower edge of the part 6. This part as here ilustratedis made of two pieces, permanently fastened together, the upper piecebeing irregular in shape, its lower edge 6 being in part substantiallyparallel with the top edge 6 of the part 6 and in part oblique to it;and 6", the lower piece, being in the shape of substantially a rightangle triangle the hypothenuse of which is in the plane of thehypothenuse of the right angle triangular part 6 and forms part of thathypothenuse. The part 6, however, may be made of one piece of materialand its upper edge may be of any suitable conformation. The base 6 ofthe substantially right angle triangular part 6 is preferably, and asshown in the drawing herein, slightly curved inwardly in the directionof the top of the member 6.

The lower part 7 is preferably made of substantially non-resilientmaterial and is permanently secured along it upper edge to the loweredge of the upper part 6 with which as here illustrated it isco-extensive and is made preferably, and as here shown, in two pieces 7and '7 in opposed relation to each other with their adjacent edges 7abutting at the top of part 7, the distance between these adjacent edgesgradually increasing until the bottom of the support is reached Wherethe distance is greatest; or, this lower part 7 may be made of one pieceand a V-shaped slit made up through the bottom edge and extending tonear the top ed e to form the members 7 and 7 The ad acent edges of themembers 7 and 7 are here provided with means for varying their opposedrelation to each other,'in this instance, With eyelets and lacing; butany means for accomplishing this purpose ,may be used. The lower edge ofpart 7 may be of any suitable conformation; and that end nearest thecenter of the body supporting means, as here shown and preferably, isslightly curved inwardly in the direction of the bottom of part 7.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the member 7 of the body supportillustrated is reinforced by strips of flexible material 9 so disposedas to lie in the plane of the abdominal muscles. The'disposition of thereinforcement of the member 7" may be varied to suit the needs of thewearer and may be of flexible materialor rigid material and of anysuitable form or may be omitted,

The adjacent edges of the connected members 2 of the body supportingmeans as here shown and preferably. are curved inwardly in the directionof the top and bottom of the members so that the greatest girthof thesupporting means is substantially at the center thereof.

From the above, it will be seen that the body supporting means of thisinvention produces a construction in which the lower part of the supportis of greater rigidity than the upper part and that this lower part isadjustable, in respect to the girth of the wearer, independently of theupper part thus admitting of nicer and more exact adjustments than haveheretofore been possible. l/Vith the construction herein provided thebody supporting means when in position on the wearer lifts that part ofthe body to be support-ed (as shown in Fig. 3, the abdomen, and in Fig.4, the bust) and supports it in elevated position and this liftingeffect can be increased to suit the requirements of the wearer byadjustment of the opposed relation to each other of the members 7 and 7"and this without effect-ing any change in the upper part of the support.

The body supporting means may be attached to the carrying meanspermanently or removably by any of the well known means for suchpurpose.

I claim 1. An article of manufacture to be placed around the body of thewearer, consisting of carrying means and body supporting means attachedthereto, said body supporting means comprising an upper resilient "0member and a lower substantially non-resilient member, and a stiffeningmeans extending vertically at the longitudinal center of said upperresilient member, said members secured together along aline extending oneither side of said stiffening means in an. upward oblique andcircumferential direction to increasingly limit, in the direct-ion ofthe lowermost point of said upper resilient member, the degree ofstretch circumferentially of said upper resilient member, and thereby toeffect, when said body supporting means is under tension as in wearingposition, an upward pull along said line of joinder to distribute thelift over said resilient member and thereby lift the lower member ofsaid body supporting means.

2. An article of manufacture to be placed around the body of the wearer,consisting of carrying means and body supporting means attached thereto,said body supporting means comprising an upper resilient member and alower substantially non-resilient member, and a stiffening meansextending vertically at the longitudinal center of said upper resilientmember, said members secured together along a line extending on eitherside of said stiffening means in an upward oblique and circumferentialdirection to increasingly limit, in the direction of the lowermost pointof said upper resilient member, the degree of stretch circumferentiallyof said upper resilient member, and thereby to effect, when said bodysupporting means is under tension as in wearing position, an upward pullalong said line of joinder to distribute the lift over said resilientmember and thereby lift the lower member of said body supporting means,said lower substantially non-resilient member comprising end members anda central portion, said end members being in opposed relation to saidcentral portion, and means for connecting and varying the relation ofthe adjacent edges of said end members and central por- 11 tion to cupsaid lower member.

3. An article of manufacture to be placed around the body of the wearerconsisting of carrying means and body supporting means attached thereto,said body supporting means comprising: an upper resilient member and alower substantially non-resilient member, said members extending fromside to side across the front of the body and being secured togetheralong a line extending, on either side of the longitudinal center of thebody supporting means, circumferentially and upwardly from said centerin substantially straight lines at such an angle to said center thatcircumferential lateral strains on said body supporting means exert ingmovement to act against the resistance an upward pull along said linesof joindel' of the body.

direct from their outer ends to the center of Signed at Holyoke, in thecounty of 10 said supporting means and substantially si- Hampden andCommonwealth of Massachumultaneously produce throughout the extentsetts, this 20th day of July, 1926.

of said lines of joinder lifting stresses to impart throughout saidlower member a lift- MILLARD VON HALLE.

